Why should we be interested in learning theories?
Learning theories refer to a set of principles that explain how individuals acquire, retain and recall knowledge. In a broader sense, it could describe the process of learning which involves modifying an individual's knowledge, skills, values, attitude, behaviour and world views through personal experiences and environmental influences. Knowledge of these theories helps us to design instruction in a way that promotes learning.
Major learning theories -
BEHAVIOURISM -
We are passive creatures driven by stimulus and learned response.
This learning theory has its roots in the early twentieth century through the work of behaviourists like Pavlov and Skinner among others. Their initial work was on animals. Their research showed the association between stimulus and response. This research was then applied to the study of human behaviour.
Behaviourists propose that behaviour can be controlled based on antecedents and consequences of a behaviour. Antecedents refer to the availability of the right environment for the behaviour to occur. The behaviour is also more or less likely to occur based on consequences that follow such as rewards or punishments. The first step is to identify the desired behaviour. Develop reinforcers to encourage the right behaviour like the use of stickers or classroom money. Identify punishments to discourage misbehaviour. Learning is therefore defined as a change in the behaviour of the learner. This theory may still be useful in classroom management i.e in ensuring an environment conducive to learning. However, it assumes that motivation is extrinsic based on rewards and punishments. A learner passively absorbs knowledge through repetition and is not doing any creative thinking or problem-solving.
COGNITIVISM-
But what about the brain? Is it not an information processor?
In the middle of the 20th century, cognitivism replaced behaviourism as the dominant theory. Drawing from the computing paradigm, it looked at humans as information processors. The theory focused on how information is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the mind. If knowledge is viewed as a kind of mental schema, learning would be the change in the individual's schemata. Some examples of cognitivism in action are providing structure to information, using imagery, analogies, mnemonics, chunking, classifying and linking concepts.
Some important theories here are Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory that emphasized the limitations of concurrent working memory on learning. Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning showed that students did better on transfer questions when exposed to learning through animation and narration as compared to those who had mono-media instruction at their disposal. Elaboration Theory for instructional design, defined strategies for building cognitive structures in the learner's mind. Piaget's theory of cognitive development described how the brain developed in children
CONSTRUCTIVISM -
But don't we analyse information and draw our own conclusions?
Emerging in the 1970s and 1980s, this theory moved from knowledge-acquisition to knowledge-construction metaphor. Learners actively build knowledge by processing the presented information through the filters of their cognitive development and prior experience. Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory influenced cognitive constructivism. This proposed that learning is dependent on the cognitive structures in the learner's mind. Lev Vygotsky was a proponent of social constructivism. According to him, learning is a collaborative process and knowledge develops from an individual's interaction with society. Constructivism became the basis of student-centred learning. The responsibility of the teacher was to create a collaborative learning environment. The teacher provided the right amount of scaffolding to facilitate the student's learning - through cues, activities or skill demonstration. The student became an active participant in the learning process. Learning would occur in groups.
THAT'S NOT ALL -
These are the most prevalent learning theories that influence classroom management and guide instruction design. However, the list is by no means exhaustive. Some of the other schools that are widely deployed are Gardner's THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES that challenges the notion of a generalized process to learning but instead suggests that people have a range of abilities. Though it is not supported by empirical research, it is widely used in classrooms over the world. Gardner did not intend it to guide classroom instruction. However, teachers saw the benefit of catering to the multiple intelligence in children and the learning outcomes it helped deliver. The other major learning theory is the HUMANISTIC model that looks at an individual's overall development and need to self-actualize. This model puts learning squarely in the hands of the student relying on his intrinsic motivation to learn. Learning happens through experiences which are actively evaluated by the learner. Below is a snapshot to effectively summarize the discussed ideas for effective encoding and easy recall!
Learning theories refer to a set of principles that explain how individuals acquire, retain and recall knowledge. In a broader sense, it could describe the process of learning which involves modifying an individual's knowledge, skills, values, attitude, behaviour and world views through personal experiences and environmental influences. Knowledge of these theories helps us to design instruction in a way that promotes learning.
Major learning theories -
BEHAVIOURISM -
We are passive creatures driven by stimulus and learned response.
This learning theory has its roots in the early twentieth century through the work of behaviourists like Pavlov and Skinner among others. Their initial work was on animals. Their research showed the association between stimulus and response. This research was then applied to the study of human behaviour.
Behaviourists propose that behaviour can be controlled based on antecedents and consequences of a behaviour. Antecedents refer to the availability of the right environment for the behaviour to occur. The behaviour is also more or less likely to occur based on consequences that follow such as rewards or punishments. The first step is to identify the desired behaviour. Develop reinforcers to encourage the right behaviour like the use of stickers or classroom money. Identify punishments to discourage misbehaviour. Learning is therefore defined as a change in the behaviour of the learner. This theory may still be useful in classroom management i.e in ensuring an environment conducive to learning. However, it assumes that motivation is extrinsic based on rewards and punishments. A learner passively absorbs knowledge through repetition and is not doing any creative thinking or problem-solving.
COGNITIVISM-
But what about the brain? Is it not an information processor?
In the middle of the 20th century, cognitivism replaced behaviourism as the dominant theory. Drawing from the computing paradigm, it looked at humans as information processors. The theory focused on how information is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the mind. If knowledge is viewed as a kind of mental schema, learning would be the change in the individual's schemata. Some examples of cognitivism in action are providing structure to information, using imagery, analogies, mnemonics, chunking, classifying and linking concepts.
Some important theories here are Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory that emphasized the limitations of concurrent working memory on learning. Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning showed that students did better on transfer questions when exposed to learning through animation and narration as compared to those who had mono-media instruction at their disposal. Elaboration Theory for instructional design, defined strategies for building cognitive structures in the learner's mind. Piaget's theory of cognitive development described how the brain developed in children
CONSTRUCTIVISM -
But don't we analyse information and draw our own conclusions?
Emerging in the 1970s and 1980s, this theory moved from knowledge-acquisition to knowledge-construction metaphor. Learners actively build knowledge by processing the presented information through the filters of their cognitive development and prior experience. Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory influenced cognitive constructivism. This proposed that learning is dependent on the cognitive structures in the learner's mind. Lev Vygotsky was a proponent of social constructivism. According to him, learning is a collaborative process and knowledge develops from an individual's interaction with society. Constructivism became the basis of student-centred learning. The responsibility of the teacher was to create a collaborative learning environment. The teacher provided the right amount of scaffolding to facilitate the student's learning - through cues, activities or skill demonstration. The student became an active participant in the learning process. Learning would occur in groups.
THAT'S NOT ALL -
These are the most prevalent learning theories that influence classroom management and guide instruction design. However, the list is by no means exhaustive. Some of the other schools that are widely deployed are Gardner's THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES that challenges the notion of a generalized process to learning but instead suggests that people have a range of abilities. Though it is not supported by empirical research, it is widely used in classrooms over the world. Gardner did not intend it to guide classroom instruction. However, teachers saw the benefit of catering to the multiple intelligence in children and the learning outcomes it helped deliver. The other major learning theory is the HUMANISTIC model that looks at an individual's overall development and need to self-actualize. This model puts learning squarely in the hands of the student relying on his intrinsic motivation to learn. Learning happens through experiences which are actively evaluated by the learner. Below is a snapshot to effectively summarize the discussed ideas for effective encoding and easy recall!
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